'Runescape' confirmed for mobile

An in-game screenshot from 'Old School RuneScape' on mobile.JAGEX

Jagex unveiled plans to release both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape for mobile and tablet devices.

The company says that the two titles will be the first mainstream and fully-established Western MMORPGs to deliver the complete MMO experience to PC and mobile platforms and feature full cross-platform play, allowing players to jump from PC to mobile platforms and back again.

Extending RuneScape and Old School RuneScape's PC gameplay to mobile, cross-platform play represents a massive advancement for RuneScape's legions of players. Players will be able to log out from their PC when they need to be AFK, and launch the mobile app to continue their adventure on the move, picking up from the in-game moment that they left it on PC. It also works the other way around. This means that players will be able to have a RuneScape and Old School RuneScape adventure just on their mobile devices if they choose, enabling past RuneScape players who have moved from PC to mobile as a preferred platform, to reconnect with the game and their characters once again.

"As a MMO player, you ideally want to play at any time of the day or night no matter where you are. We know that our players' time is precious, and that's why want to give all RuneScape players, both present and past, the opportunity to play RuneScape on the go," said Neil McClarty, Senior Product Director, Jagex. "The fact that they'll be able to play on their PC, leave the PC, and pick up their mobile and continue playing where you left your character will be a big deal for our players - there really will be no need for any XP waste."

Jagex COO Phil Mansell sees the upcoming mobile releases of the two games as a big change to the nature of MMORPGs.

"The RuneScape titles will become the first mainstream and established Western MMORPGs on mobile in full and the first to deliver cross-platform play between PC and mobile platforms. We believe in taking our games to wherever our players want them; recent player surveys showed an overwhelming 90% of active players and 64% of former players telling us of their very high intent-to-play on mobile," he says. "Our innovative approach to mobile is also evidence of our ambitions in the mobile sector, and a further indication of our investment in extending the RuneScape franchise to additional devices and territories."

Old School RuneScape is set to debut on mobile platforms this winter, with RuneScape to follow at some point thereafter.